Blackmail
by kiwibrazilian89
Summary: Marshall Pittman's final act of revenge before he died was to send the tapes from the wire taps to Gabrielle. Let the games begin.
1. Chapter 1

**Marshall Pittman's final act of revenge before he died was to send the tapes from the wire taps to Gabrielle. Let the games begin.**

**Timeline: Begins evening of the season finale except that the package for Dani never arrived with the tapes in it, resulting in Nico not having an excuse to go over to her house that night, so technically nothing has happened between Nico and Dani yet. Dani does not yet know Marshall is dead.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Danielle Santino froze mid-bite as she listened to the deceptively sweet voice of Gabrielle Pittman on her voicemail while eating breakfast.

"Hello Danielle, I just thought you might like to know that Marshall sent me the original tapes from the wire taps. Don't worry though, I'm prepared to negotiate with you. Lets see. I'll allow your patients to maintain their privacy, as long as you keep your hands off Nico. Maintain your professional relationship with him but nothing further. No friendship, no relationship. Clear enough? I hope so, wouldn't want any of your patients sessions to 'accidentally' leak to the press. Oh, and just one more thing, let's keep this little arrangement between us, no need to upset Nico. I've got compromising material on him too if you get any funny ideas in your head. Keep in mind that he's going through enough right now, I just told him that they found Marshall's body. He's dead. So Nico is dealing with the death of his best friend and all that. I'll be in touch."

Dani struggled to breathe, dragging ragged gasps of air through her rapidly tightening throat. Mercifully her children had already left for school, she didn't want them to see her fall apart. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get enough oxygen into her system. Her skin was hot to the touch. She was burning up, suffocating, dying. Heart racing, she told herself everything was okay, that there was nothing to panic about. But the vice grip around her neck didn't listen, it continued to stop any air from getting through to her tingling limbs. She collapsed onto a stool, head in hands and elbows leaning on the island in the middle of the room. The kitchen was bright and cheerful but the chaos swirling around her obliterated every ounce of tranquility it usually brought her. She was not sure anything would ever be able to make her feel safe again.

Forcing years of therapy training into action she slowly relaxed each muscle group in her body, tensing them briefly, then releasing them. Breathing through her nose while counting to six, then breathing out on a count of four, Dani slowed down her heart rate until she was able to think clearly again. She tried to be logical about her situation. Gabrielle Pittman was not the type to make empty threats. What didn't make sense was why she felt a need to tell her to keep away from Nico. Frowning in confusion, Dani started a text message to Nico, hoping to get clarity before remembering Gabrielle's sickly sweet demand that they keep the 'arrangement' between the two of them.

As a therapist she knew that the best way to deal with a bully was to report them to the correct authorities in spite of any emotional blackmail. But she had a higher responsibility to her patients. Nico was her friend, and her personal life would suffer if she had to cut him out, but Gabrielle held the power to destroy her entire career. Not to mention the power to expose her clients deepest, darkest secrets. Rubbing her temples with two fingers, she tried to fight the migraine she felt coming on. Gabrielle had pushed her too far this time.

In spite of her momentary panic attack, Danielle Santino was not the sort of person who let bullies push her around. Somehow, she needed to get those tapes out of Gabrielle's hands. But it seemed that she would have to find a way to make that happen without the help of Nico. He was always there to protect her when she needed him. This time he was in trouble and she wasn't sure if he even knew what Gabrielle was planning. All she knew was that there was no way she would let Gabrielle have the final say. That woman was going down, no matter what it took.

Taking a few more deep breaths, Dani went upstairs to take a scalding hot shower, dressed in her favorite power-suit, checked her make-up, then made her way to the central office. She rushed down the hallway, heels clicking briskly on the linoleum. The clock on her cellphone cheerfully informed her that she was running five minutes late for the meeting. She resisted the urge to throw it at the wall. The thing had been nothing but trouble all day.

Matt was the first to notice her when she walked into the office, his eyes meeting hers squarely with a mix of pain, regret, and anger. It was overkill really, the way Matt tried to make her feel guilty every time he saw her. Especially considering the way he had chosen to break the emotional attachment between them. Coach barely spared her a glance before resuming his constant frowning over stacks of papers and player names.

Nico stood stoically at the side of the room, his gaze even and guarded. Which made her question yet again what exactly it had been that Gabrielle thought there was between the two of them. He barely blinked when she entered a room. He certainly didn't have any feelings for her beyond that of a coworker and friend.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us," quipped the coach sarcastically. The slight grin that tipped the edge of his mouth took the bite out of his words as Nico gestured to a chair for Dani to occupy. Tall, dark, and dangerous looked slightly more disheveled than usual. He was missing his usual leather jacket and attired in a simple black button down shirt and dark grey trousers. Although both were immaculately pressed and creased in all the correct places, probably due to his military background, the purple bags under his eyes could not be hidden. Dani felt a surge of sympathy rush through her as she saw the pain he kept out of his eyes written in the lines and shadows on his unshaven face.

"We have a situation." Matt rolled his eyes dramatically causing Nico to turn the full intensity of his impassive gaze on him, daring him to continue taking making light of his favorite phrase. "Marshall Pittman's body was located early this morning. He is dead. My sources tell me Gabrielle Pittman has the wire tap tapes from Marshall, and as of yet I have been unable to _convince_ her to hand them over." He spoke the word 'convince' with the same tone as someone would use when speaking of a particularly despicable species of cockroach. Dani felt a wave of relief flood through her body at his words. He knew about Gabrielle having the tapes. Everything was going to be okay. Well once Nico got therapy over losing his best friend.

"I am using all available resources to recover the tapes, however at this point I feel it is necessary to ask you all to begin preparing for the worst. If there is anything from the past few months that has happened within this building without my knowledge, now would be an appropriate time to inform me so I can do damage control." If Dani hadn't known any better that would have sounded like the speech of a man admitting defeat. But Nico never gave up. Not without a fight. The fact that he was now, made her concerned that the death of Marshall was hitting him even harder than she had expected. She had known they were best friends and had fought together in battle, but it seemed she had underestimated how deep the bond went.

Matt ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged at Dani before looking over at Nico, "Well there were a couple of times Dani and I, you know..." Dani gasped at the flippant tone in his voice given the seriousness of the situation, taking note of the acrimony she could see on Nico's face through her peripheral vision. By the time she turned to face Nico fully his mask was back in place, no hint of underlying emotion remaining.

"I can assure you Donnally, your extracurricular activities would be news to no-one, given your 'intimate' relationship with the press." The hard, callous tone in Nico's voice sent chills through the bones of even the thick-skinned Matt, who raised his hands in submission and plastered an innocent look on his face.

"Hey, you asked," Matt finally caught on to Nico's dangerous mood and shut up as Nico shot him a withering glance before continuing. Dani could feel her cheeks growing warm and was not sure if it was from embarrassment at Matt's airing of her personal life, or anger that Matt thought it was okay to make wise cracks about their relationship. She looked down at her fingers and proceeded to push down the cuticles of her normally perfect nails.

"I have ensured that there is an injunction in place which will send anyone who publishes anything covered by confidentiality laws from the tape to prison for a long time. I also have a team of the best hackers combing the internet continuously who will ensure if Gabrielle attempts to put anything online it will be removed instantly." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

"If you all don't mind, I think it would be in everyone's best interests to keep the matter from the players for as long as possible. I have concerns that their reactions upon hearing might make the situation more volatile than it already is. That's all I have to say for now. I'll let you know when there is any progress on the situation." He checked a buzzing on his phone and his face darkened. Tilting his head towards the door, he gestured for Dani to leave with him.

"Doctor Santino, if I could speak to you privately." Dani looked up from her nails to see a hint of anger peeking through Nico's mask as he gazed in her direction. Nodding but squinting at him curiously, she followed him out of the room, waving goodbye to an annoyed looking Matt. The coach barely noticed them leaving, too caught up in his own world. He trusted Nico to take care of everything, he was simply paid to build a winning team and he would prefer to keep the players as sheltered as possible. For once, he and Nico were in agreement.

Nico walked in silence until they reached her car, Dani struggling to keep up with the pace of his wide strides. His face was stormy as he held open the door for her to get in. Remembering Gabrielle's warning to keep away from Nico she tried to protest,

"Nico, I've got a lot of things to deal with today, is this something that can wait?" He shook his head no, and stood immovable as a stone wall holding her door open until she climbed in. He climbed into the passenger seat, the violence of his emotions radiating throughout the small car.

"Drive." It was an imperative, spoken in the tone hundreds of men had not dared to disobey on battlefields in years gone by. She could do nothing but obey his command, not daring to ask him for an explanation for his erratic behavior. She could only hope that she was not breaking Gabrielle's list of rules about keeping her hands off Nico.

A tense silence began to build up in the car between them, interrupted only by Nico's impassive driving directions. Dani watched the minutes slowly tick over on the radio LED clock, glancing over at Nico's furious face every few seconds and wondering when he would finally crack and tell her what had him so angry. His emotions were not purely about Marshall Pittman's death, they seemed much more personal, and terrifyingly, they seemed directed at her. Eventually Nico demanded that she pull into a rest stop just off the freeway.

Quietly, he spoke in a voice full of barely contained fury, glaring at her across the narrow space that separated their seats. "Doctor Santino, have I ever given you reason not to trust me?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the support! You guys are awesome :) **

_Previously:_

_Quietly, he spoke in a voice full of barely contained fury, glaring at her across the narrow space that separated their seats. "Doctor Santino, have I ever given you reason not to trust me?"_

* * *

She frowned at him, the question seeming completely out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow skeptically and continued to pin her down with his piercing gaze. His eyes grew cold and guarded with a hint of something more dangerous in the background, sending chills running through her spine. But she refused to be cowed into a corner. She had done nothing wrong and could think of no possible reason for him to be mad at her. Lifting her chin defiantly she met his glare and squinted back at him with a hint of a query in her brown eyes. Nico's voice remained hard as he replied.

"Answer the question please, Doctor Santino." He was not about to budge. But neither was she. Matching his tone, she inserted pure steel into her voice. He may have commanded battalions, but she had two teenage children. She could make demands just as well as he could.

"Not until you tell me what is going on." Taking note of the hard determination in her eyes, Nico sighed and pulled out his cellphone, placing it on the armrest between them, and opening it to the text message he had received during the staff meeting.

_**Red flag on our system. A call was made from Gabrielle Pittman to Doctor Santino's phone this morning.**_

Thoughts rushing through her head at a million miles a minute, Dani tried to figure out how much Nico's team knew. They knew better than to listen in on her actual conversations. Nico at least had to know she would kill him if he ever tried to breach her privacy like that. Which meant that Nico couldn't know the content of the voicemail message Gabrielle had left her. It was more likely they had Gabrielle Pittman's phone tapped and just knew the target of each call she made. She knew lying to Nico was a bad idea, but it was better than letting him get too close. For his own sake, and for the sake of her patients, she had to push him away. Giving Gabrielle an excuse to release compromising information was not an option.

"It was nothing Nico, she just needed to talk to someone about Marshall's death." Nico was not convinced in the slightest. Dani was the last person in the world Gabrielle would call for help. The self-absorbed and narcissistic woman was not capable of being vulnerable unless she was getting something out of the exchange. His eyes darkened even further as he pinned Doctor Santino to her seat with his eyes. His voice remained cool and detached.

"Doctor Santino, you are a terrible liar. Last time I checked, the foundation of our professional relationship involved mutual trust and respect. Now would be a bad time to damage that." Dani closed her eyes and bit down hard on her bottom lip, the feeling of helplessness from earlier that morning washing over her again. Taking a deep breath she tried not to let her voice shake, instead letting her frustration with the situation permeate her words

"You're right, and I thought that foundation was strong enough for you not to make unfounded accusations." A lone, frustrated tear escaped and rolled slowly down her cheek. Nico softened fractionally as he recognized how close Dani was to falling apart. His keen senses had no trouble deciphering that Gabrielle had put Dani in a chokehold, but for whatever reason Dani did not feel safe enough to talk to him about it. After everything they had been through together, that stung. But he knew how manipulative Gabrielle could be, and he refused to let her destroy his friendship with Dani. Seeing the tension in Dani's body as she stared out the window of the car, he let go of his hit man persona and spoke gently.

"Look at me." She continued staring at the window, refusing to let him see the tension in her eyes as she struggled between fear of repercussions from Gabrielle, and the deep desire to believe that Nico had the power to keep her, her patients, and himself safe. She was so scared to let herself depend on another man. So far every man she had dared to trust had let her down, badly. Nico repeated himself, a rough edge to his voice this time, as if he was also an inch away from losing control of his emotions.

"Look at me, Dani." She shook her head no. She couldn't. Reaching across the space between them, Nico placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and waited for her to respond. He could feel the shuddering breaths she was taking as she tried not to let herself cry, but eventually her breathing calmed and she turned slowly to face him. Looking up at him through heavily lidded and watery eyes, Dani said nothing, causing Nico's anger and frustration at Gabrielle to break through his stoic facade. He could not stand to see the normally strong therapist falling apart without being able to help. Although his voice remained quiet, his words were dangerously punctuated as he almost spat the words out.

"What. Did Gabrielle Pittman. Say to you?" He desperately needed to know. His voice gentled again as he explained. "I can't keep you safe if I don't know what I'm dealing with." Both his hands had made their way to her shoulders to turn her whole body towards him as he spoke. Their faces were only inches away from each other as the tension from their standoff continued, Dani maintaining her silence despite his plea for honesty. The vulnerability in Dani's eyes as she shook her head no was the last straw for the tentative hold he had thus far maintained over his emotions, and he leaned towards her, closing the distance between them in a searing kiss. He pressed his lips to hers, tentative at first, uncertain as to how she would respond.

Dani closed her eyes and reacted instinctively, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. She teased his lips with her tongue, and he called her bluff, taking charge of the kiss, pressing for entrance to her mouth with his own tongue as one hand moved to the nape of her neck and the other to her lower back. Through the haze Dani remembered Gabrielle's demands, the sound of danger growing insistently in her mind as she moved her hands up to his chest and pushed him away forcefully. With tears in her voice, she spoke.

"We can't do this." Nico shot her a fleeting look of hurt and confusion, before nodding curtly and replacing it with his usual impenetrable stoicism. All business once more, he repeated himself a final time.

"Am I to assume that you have no intentions of telling me what Gabrielle said to you this morning?" She met his now unexpressive eyes and shook her head.

"I can't, Nico." He nodded and gestured towards the steering wheel for her to turn the car back on.

The ride back to the Hawks complex was silent, both too lost in their own thoughts and problems to reach out to the other.

Dani was still in shock that Nico had kissed her. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him, but why now? Why now, when she could not reciprocate without Gabrielle Pittman destroying both of their lives and careers? She knew she had hurt him by pushing him away, but she could not think of an alternative. If she told him the truth he would not be able to hide the knowledge from Gabrielle. He would go storming in and try to kill her or something, and she had no doubt that Gabrielle had backup copies of the tapes ready to detonate at the slightest provocation. Above all else, she felt helpless and trapped, something she had struggled her entire life to overcome. Getting pregnant so early in life, being trapped in a failed marriage for so long - she was done with it all. She just needed a plan.

Upon arrival at the Hawks complex, they were met by a concerned looking Matt who rushed to the car and knocked on the window before Dani could even put the gear in park. Rolling down the window she squinted at him in annoyance, what did he want now? Hands placed flat on top of the car and body tense, he looked down through the open window at Dani and spoke in a pained voice,

"You guys have gotta see this. You aren't gonna like it." Nico was sick of being given information in bits and drabs. He was not accustomed to it, and today had already been a very long day. In a barely restrained voice he growled,

"What is it, Donnally?" Matt took a deep breath before answering, knowing that the head of security was not going to react well to his news, and hoping that Dani would protect him from the wrath of Nico.

"Gabrielle Pittman released one of the tapes." For a second Dani was afraid Nico would punch something as the fury in his eyes made even her wary for her personal safety. Or at least the safety of the carefully preserved interior of her car. But the fury soon subsided into something much more sinister as he became completely calm and rolled up the sleeves of his black button down shirt, slowly. Speaking lightly, with only a hint of the dark undertone in his iron cold gaze, he inquired.

"Which one of the tapes did she release?" Matt said nothing, just looked at Dani with a sympathetic and agonized expression in his eyes. Nico took note of the glance between them and lost his cool, getting out of the car and grabbing Donnally by the collar of his white button up shirt while glaring at Dani.

"Which one of you is going to tell me what the hell Gabrielle Pittman is up to?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know Dani is usually very careful about handling her relationships like a mature adult, but I also think she has a strong temper that sometimes gets the best of her. Love hearing your reactions, you guys make my day :)**

_Previously_

_"Which one of the tapes did she release?" Matt said nothing, just looked at Dani with a sympathetic and agonized expression in his eyes. Nico took note of the glance between them and lost his cool, getting out of the car and grabbing Donnally by the collar of his white button up shirt while glaring at Dani._

_"Which one of you is going to tell me what the hell Gabrielle Pittman is up to?"_

* * *

Lips tightly sealed, with a barely perceptible shake of the head, Dani simply replied,

"Mmm mm. I think I'm gonna be sick." Immediately, both men shifted their focus towards her. Nico let go of Matt, and the ruffled former trainer shrugged his shirt back into place, annoyed about being manhandled. If it was anyone other than Nico, he would have fought back. Unfortunately, the head of security was not the sort of person he could afford to alienate right now. Especially considering he was just stepping fully into his new role as general manager.

Nico had to acknowledge that Doctor Santino did seem slightly green around the gills. She also appeared to be struggling to breathe and on the verge of a crying jag. If there was one thing he could not handle it was crying women. Especially when they were women he was beginning to care for altogether too much.

Holding the door open for Dani to get out of the car, Nico's crisis training kicked in as he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her firmly to the passenger side of her car. The lack of resistance from the normally feisty therapist confirmed his suspicions that she was in shock. He needed to know she was safe and being cared for before he would be able to deal with his despicable former flame.

As much as it irked him to have to rely on Donnally for anything, he knew that the irritating jock still cared deeply enough about Dani to be entrusted with her physical safety. After closing Doctor Santino's door, Nico walked up to Matt and sighed in resignation as he eyed the younger man suspiciously. He and Donnally were on the same side, so he was going to have to learn to keep his jealousy in check. He moved closer to Matt, putting his hands in his pockets, which gave him the deceptive appearance of being relaxed. Speaking quietly so Dani wouldn't overhear, he asked Matt directly,

"Donnally, which tape is it and where has it been released?" Matt had regained his composure and met Nico's gaze evenly, responding in the same neutral, business-like tone.

"It's a tape of me and Dani in my office. TMZ's website. Your team got on it straight away, but we're not sure how far it had already spread." Nico's facial expression remained neutral, but his fists clenched tightly in his pocket as he resisted the urge to rearrange Matt's face. Instead, he found catharsis in sarcasm.

"Discretion, Donnally. Learn the word and you'll make my job a lot easier." Still refusing to back down, Matt took a step forward, further closing the miniscule distance between them until they were nose to nose.

"Security, Nico. Do your job properly and those of us who actually get laid once in a while won't have to worry so much about being published all over the Internet." The two alpha males held each other's stares, neither willing to admit defeat, and both running high on testosterone fueled emotions. Eventually, Nico realized how juvenile the standoff was given the matter at hand and broke the silence. His voice made it clear that he was not in any way seceding dominance to Matt, he was simply focusing on more pressing issues.

"Drive Doctor Santino home, Donnally. I will handle this." Matt nodded without breaking their staring contest and got in the driver's side of the car as Nico walked away. After closing the door behind him he looked over at the tense and shaking therapist and took a deep breath.

"Dani, I'm gonna get you home, okay?" Eyes closed and holding the bridge of her nose to fend off an impending migraine, she shook her head.

"No. This one is personal. I need to know which tape she released and how bad the damage is. Then I'm going to make Gabrielle Pittman wish she was dead." By the end of the phrase Dani was squinting angrily with a tight smile plastered on her face. It was the same face she wore when Matt flirted with other women in front of her, and he knew it rarely led to anything good. Putting his hand lightly on her knee, he spoke warmly, his usual hard shell crumbling as he tried to reassure the woman who had broken his heart.

"Dani, it's gonna be okay, Nico will handle it. But you need to be at home to tell your kids about this yourself." Through gritted teeth, she growled.

"Which tape was it, Matt?" Licking his suddenly dry lips, Matt ran his fingers through his hair uncomfortably before answering.

"You and me, in my office." To his surprise, Dani seemed almost relieved.

"So, nothing about my patients?" Matt shook his head.

"Oh thank God. I can deal with the wrath of my kids, but if that woman releases any tapes of my patients I'll lose my therapists license." The thought of what Gabrielle could still do, combined with the relief from discovering her worst nightmare had not yet occurred, pushed the normally steely brunette to the limit of her endurance. Unable to hold back the tears anymore she allowed Matt to put his arm around her shoulders and pull her close. Leaning her forehead on his strong shoulder, she sobbed as he lightly rubbed circles on her back, whispering to her that everything would be okay.

Holding Dani in his arms Matt felt his half-repaired heart shattering all over again. She was wearing a green top he had seen her in often while they were dating. He had tried to move on with Noelle, even to the point of brushing Dani off when she needed him. But for all his posturing, he had to admit that his feelings for Dani had not just disappeared overnight. He had wanted to marry her and that was a first for him.

He was not the sort of man who became deeply attached often, usually his ambitions and career took the front seat in his decision-making. But he would have done anything to make his relationship with Dani work. She had said she did not want any more children, but he had a deep-rooted suspicion that what she meant was that she didn't want to have any children with him. The thought of what could have been would always make him vulnerable where she was concerned.

Nico made the mistake of turning back to check on Dani before entering the Hawks complex, catching a brief glimpse of Dani clinging to Donnally like a life raft. Bile rose in his throat as he reminded himself why he had decided he flew better solo. Women never brought him anything but pain. Not that it mattered, given the way Dani had pushed him away earlier that day. Clearly she was still hung up on Donnally, although he could not for the life of him figure out why.

* * *

Eventually Dani sniffed and pulled away from Matt, buckling her seatbelt and running her fingers through her mussed hair to tidy it. He resisted the urge to reach over and help her. As much as he missed her, they had broken up for a reason, and he could not allow himself to be pulled back into an unhealthy friends with benefits type relationship.

Once Dani had reasserted herself, she nodded.

"Okay, let's go." Shooting her one more concerned glance, Matt had to ask,

"You sure you're okay?" She squinted at him, annoyed at his stupid question. Of course she wasn't okay, she had just spent the past 5 minutes crying in his arms. And she was not normally a crier.

"I'm fine. Let's just get this over with." Putting the car in drive, Matt nodded.

"Okay." Upon arriving home, Matt walked Dani to the door then turned to leave. Dani looked up at him, eyes both grateful and pleading.

"Thanks for driving me home, Matt...would you mind staying...just for a while? I could really use a friend right now." He looked down and shook his head.

"I can't, Dani, I need to go handle the press." She knew she was being immature and selfish but she needed someone to care about her at the moment, and to have Matt bail on her a second time when she needed him was too much for her in her current state. The biting words she knew she would regret later slipped out before she could stop them.

"And by 'the press' you mean Noelle? Go for it." Matt inhaled sharply through his teeth then responded resentfully.

"No Dani, I mean the huge contingency of paparazzi camped out in front of the Hawks stadium. I mean, come on, what do you want me to say? I'm sorry I moved on so quickly? You broke up with me, remember?" His response probably should not have shocked her but the callousness in his words took her off guard. As did his interpretation of their break up.

"Last I checked we both mutually agreed that we wanted different things from life." Matt shook his head and replied earnestly,

"I wanted to marry you, Dani. I would have given up anything to make that a possibility."

"Not anything, Matt. And I'm not blaming you. I get it. You shouldn't have to give up your dreams for any woman. But you started flirting with Noelle right in front of me, the very next day. It seems I'm easy to replace. Oh, and let's not forget that the last time I needed you, you bailed on me because you were sleeping with her." Now Matt just looked plain mad.

"Are we really gonna do this right now?" He exhaled loudly. "Dani, I am SORRY for the way I handled things. I was hurting and I acted impulsively. But we need to be able to maintain a professional relationship." The anger in his voice became cold and detached as he regained control of his emotions. "We are colleagues. I dropped you home, and now, with all due respect, my job is done here and I have other duties I need to handle as a general manager." Dani could feel herself about to start crying again and she stomped down on the urge. There was no way she was going to break down in front of this arrogant man a second time today. Instead she replied bitterly, eyes squinting at Matt,

"So that's all I am to you now? A duty?" Icy cold eyes looked back at her as Matt replied in a voice hard as stone.

"You broke my heart, Dani. So you'll have to forgive me if my answer to your question is yes. I'm sorry, but I gotta go." He turned and walked out, slamming the front door behind him before she could say anything more.

Turning on the TV for company she was greeted with breaking news that a compromising tape of Doctor Santino and Matt Donnally of the Hawks was rumored to be floating around but had been removed from all internet portals before anyone could verify the popular gossip website's claims. Breathing a sigh of relief, Dani collapsed onto the couch. She had no idea how he had done it, but Nico had come through for her again.

An insistent buzzing from her purse interrupted her relief.

"Doctor Santino speaking,"

"Hello Doctor Santino, this is Gabrielle Pittman. That little teaser tape released today, that was just a warning shot after your little rendezvous with Nico. I'm changing the rules. I don't want you alone with him, at all. No car trips, no extended lunch breaks. You will push him away and make sure that he knows you are not interested or I will release every last tape I have of your patients spilling their guts to you. This embarrassing little tape released today will be the least of your worries. And don't go trying to whine to Nico, remember who I am. He was in love with me for almost 20 years. I know all his methods, habits, and secrets. And believe me I have backup plans if he tries to foil my Plan A. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N You guys rock! Sorry this has taken so long to get up. You know how college gets! Enjoy :)**

_Previously: _

_"Hello Doctor Santino, this is Gabrielle Pittman. That little teaser tape released today, was just a warning shot. I'm changing the rules. I don't want you alone with Nico, at all. No car trips, no extended lunch breaks. You will push him away and make sure that he knows you are not interested or I will release every last tape I have of your patients spilling their guts to you. This embarrassing tape released today will be the least of your worries. And don't go trying to whine to Nico, remember who I am. He was in love with me for almost 20 years. I know all his methods, habits, and secrets. And believe me I have backup plans if he tries to foil my Plan A. Do I make myself clear?"_

_"Crystal."_

* * *

Dani sat on her front porch staring out into the yard, eyes glazed over as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. It had been three weeks since she last heard from Gabrielle Pittman, and no more tapes had been released. For all intents and purposes it seemed that as long as she stayed away from Nico, her patients would be fine. Which wasn't as hard as she had thought it would be, given that he was studiously ignoring her.

Unfortunately, she could not resume therapy with her clients until the tapes were destroyed, and no matter how many plans she came up with, she had no idea how to take down the evil she-witch.

Walking into the General Managers office she found Nico and Matt in their usual positions; one standing, one sitting, and both scowling at eachother. She hung back by the door and cleared her throat slightly, smiling cautiously with her head tilted to the side.

"Uh, guys? Everything okay in here?" Both their glares immediately turned in her direction. Wonderful, both of the men in her life she cared the most about were still mad at her. It had been weeks since her fight with Matt, and as far as she was concerned, he was the one who owed her an apology. Not that she was likely to get one from the arrogant jock. She had hurt his ego too badly when she broke up with him. Nico on the other hand, she simply could not figure out. Was he still upset that she wouldn't tell him what Gabrielle had said to her, or was he upset that he had pushed him away when he kissed her? Looking back and forth between the two men, she shivered and folded her arms across her chest, wondering why the air conditioning in this building was suddenly so cold.

Nico turned back to Matt, eyebrows raised and eyes impatient.

"Are we done here?" Matt nodded curtly.

"Yeah." Nodding in return, Nico spun around on one heel and strode out of the room, eyes focused straight ahead as he passed Dani. Frowning, Dani looked to Matt for answers, hoping he would fill her in on whatever they had been discussing before she had walked in. Matt gestured to the chair across from his desk. At the very least their professional relationship seemed to have remained intact.

"Gabrielle is in deep hiding, best guess is somewhere in South America. Nico can't find her from here so he's heading down to Brazil with Vera. He just received a letter from Gabrielle's lawyer." Matt passed her a piece of paper.

_The pieces are in place, enjoy the game. -Gabrielle_

Sighing, Matt continued. "We can't get the tapes back, Dani. Hell, at this point we can't even deliver a subpoana since she's fled the country. I am so sorry, I don't even know what to say. You're in this mess because of me. The Hawks will cover your losses until this fracas is sorted out."

"No, Matt, this isn't your fault. I took this job on my own terms. Look, there's something I should probably tell you. Gabrielle has called me a couple of times. She'll hold off on releasing more tapes as long as I stay away from Nico. I dunno she's somehow got it in her head that there's something going on between him and I and she's jealous." Matt looked down and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand before asking curiously,

"Well, is there? I mean, anything going on between you guys?" His eyes contained a hint of hurt, but mostly they were concerned, as if he genuinely cared for her well-being. Dani had not seen that look in his eyes since they broke up and it led her to answer more honestly than she might have otherwise.

"No. Of course not. I mean..." She sighed and looked up at him sadly from underneath her long eyelashes. "I don't know." Matt pursed his lips and nodded, before regaining his professional demeanor and inquiring,

"Have you told Nico that Gabrielle is blackmailing you?" She shook her head from side to side vigorously.

"No, I can't, he'd do something irrational and then Gabrielle would have the excuse she wants to ruin my life and the lives of all my patients. She made it clear that I can't have any sort of contact with Nico beyond our professional relationship. I can't be alone with him at all. Ever." Matt had the grace and good breeding to not look delighted at the idea of his rival not being allowed anywhere near Dani. Unfortunately, in this situation, he had to advocate for the enemy.

"Dani, he needs to know. He might be able to track where the signal to your phone came from. Knowing why she is doing what she's doing might be the information he needs to pin her down."

"I can't, Matt, so please, just let me handle this in my own way." The tall ex-basketball player placed his hands flat on the desk in front of him and nodded.

"Okay." Dani started to get up but Matt spoke, causing her to drop back into her chair.

"Look, Dani, about what happened a few weeks ago." Staring down at her cuticles, she averted her eyes from his suddenly intense gaze.

"Yes?" Matt looked down at his lap, also studiously avoiding eye contact as he spoke, struggling to keep his emotions at bay. He took a deep breath in.

"I thought you should know that I broke up with Noelle." Frowning, Dani tried to understand what kind of response Matt wanted from her.

"I'm sorry." She crossed her arms, body language making it clear that sympathy over his break up was not on offer.

"No, I'm not trying to make you feel sorry for me. The way I treated you was unforgiveable and I'm done making excuses. I hurt you. Dani, I'm really sorry," He lifted his eyes to meet her, blinking back unexpected tears as he finally acknowledged the pain he had caused her and took responsibility for the way he had behaved. His own watery eyes were mirrored in her brown ones as she smiled back at him.

"Thanks, Matt." Choking on tears, she lifted soft eyes to his, and Matt saw the forgiveness he needed in their depths, acknowledging the exchange with a brief dip of his head. Smiling tremulously, tears still swimming in her eyes, Dani got up to leave. As she reached the door, Matt called after her.

"Dani, if you want my advice, tell Nico the truth. You can't fix this thing on your own."

* * *

Dani went straight from Matt's office to her own and sat in front of her laptop, typing and retyping emails to Nico. It seemed to be the least trackable option, and hopefully Gabrielle would not even notice anything had been communicated.

_Nico, I need to tell you something before you leave, is there somewhere safe we can talk? -Dani _

The response was immediate.

_I'll send you a car. -Nico_

10 minutes later a sleek black Mecedes-Benz with heavily tinted and probably bulletproof windows pulled up outside the Hawks Stadium. Head down, she ran to the car, hoping there was no-one tracking her movements. Climbing in car as quickly as possible, she was relieved when she recognized the security guard driving it. Stopping at a crowded duck feeding park 20 minutes away, the driver spoke quietly.

"Nico will be standing on the east side of the playground, by the swings. There are kids screaming, and ducks squawking, and parents having deep conversations with their friends. Nobody will be able to listen in on your conversation." Looking over his shoulder at her sympathetically, the big security guard smiled reassuringly, giving her the burst of courage she needed to face Nico after weeks of silence broken only by tersely spoken words when necessary for Hawks related issues. She spotted him standing by the swings in his usual black trench coat, hands in pockets and back ramrod straight. Meeting his cold eyes briefly before he looked away, she moved closer to him until they were standing arm to arm, touching lightly. Nico jerked back as if her touch burned him, then spoke in a low voice that was all business.

"You had something to tell me?" She placed a calming hand on his arm, pleased when this time he did not pull away.

"Gabrielle Pittman has called me twice. Matt said you might be able to use the signal to track her down? She said that I had to push you away or she would release the rest of the tapes of my patients sessions. And that she also had compromising information about you." Nico's body froze as she spoke, not a single muscle moving until she finished when he extended his hand in front of his body and gestured to her demandingly. He still refused to turn his head, refused to meet her gaze.

"Give me your phone." Placing it in his out-streched hand, Dani lingered a few seconds longer than was strictly necessary as Nico spoke brusquely. "I'll have a new phone for you in the morning. Is there anything else?" She tried to keep her mouth shut but she had to know.

"Matt said you're going to Brazil with Vera. Are you and her...you know?" Raising his eyebrows innocently, Nico feigned ignorance. She could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth as he replied.

"Are we what?" Glowering at him, she clarified, since he seemed to have contracted a sudden case of stupidity.

"You know... together?" He finally turned to her, his whole body facing hers, their chests and faces less than a foot away from each other, but his eyes were once again icy as he replied testily.

"I fail to see how my relationship with Vera is any of your concern, Doctor Santino." She blinked rapidly, refusing to allow herself to cry no matter how much his words hurt.

"Damnit Nico, you kissed me three weeks ago and you haven't voluntarily spoken to me since. What did I do?" Regarding her carefully, his eyes finally softened, and he sighed.

"You've done nothing wrong, Doctor Santino, I am simply focused on my job currently and cannot afford to be distracted by emotional attachments." Grinning mischievously up at him through seductively lowered eyelids, she bit her lip and responded,

"So, I'm a distraction to you?" Eyes pinning her in place with their fierce intensity, he growled in frustration.

"You are much more than a distraction, Danielle. You are a weakness I cannot afford to have." Turning, he strode away quickly, leaving her bewildered and alone, staring at ducks fighting for bread on the pond. She resisted the urge to run after him, to demand answers. She knew that for such a private man, even the admission he had just made was a huge step forward. As far as she was concerned, the ball was in his court. She wasn't about to make this easier for him. If he truly cared for her that deeply, then he needed to come to terms with his feelings in his own time.


End file.
